| Larrea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Larrea tridentata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Zygophyllales |
| Family: | Zygophyllaceae |
| Subfamily: | Larreoideae |
| Genus: | Larrea Cav. |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Covillea Vail | |
Larrea is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of evergreen shrubs that are native to the Americas. The generic name honours Bishop Juan Antonio Hernández Pérez de Larrea, a patron of science.[2][3] South American members of this genus are known as jarillas and can produce fertile interspecific hybrids. One of the more notable species is the creosote bush (L. tridentata) of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The King Clone ring in the Mojave Desert is a creosote bush clonal colony estimated to be about 11,700 years old.
- ^ "Genus: Larrea Cav". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ Couplan, François (1998). The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 312. ISBN 978-0-87983-821-8.
- ^ "Larrea" is itself a Basque surname, where larrea stands for a village in Álava (Spain), ultimately meaning 'meadow' (plus article -a).